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Somerset’s new Career Center offers special ed programs

@MikeDeakMyCJ
12:01 p.m. EDT June 1, 2014

Somerset County officials participate in the ceremonial groundbreaking of the new Career Center of the Somerset County Educational Services Commission in the Finderne section of Bridgewater.
(Photo:
Photo courtesy of Somerset County Educational Services Commission
)

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BRIDGEWATER – Registration is open for two new vocational programs at The Career Center of the Somerset County Educational Services Commission scheduled to open in the fall.

The programs, available for special education students in grades 9-12, will be in a new 16,300-square-foot facility at the commission’s campus at 7 Finderne Ave.

The new building will house ShopRite’s Supermarket Careers program and a classroom for the Power Equipment Technology program. The programs are a partnership among the Somerset County Educational Services Commission, Somerset County Vocational and Technical School and ShopRite.

In the Supermarket Careers program, begun in 1988 at Somerset County Vo-Tech, students will work in a small supermarket setting and train for jobs in all retail departments, including checkout lanes, produce, deli, bakery and courtesy counter.

Two periods of the school day are dedicated to the supermarket, while the rest of the day is focused on the state’s core curriculum.

The Supermarkets Career Program has trained 3,000 students in 25 years, said Ann Burker, vice president of human resources for Wakefern Food Corp., parent company of ShopRite.

“At ShopRite we have great prices and great products, but what really sets us apart is our people,” Burke said. “We are really thrilled to work with these students.”

ShopRite employs program graduates at many of its stores, including Franklin (Somerset), East Brunswick and Elizabeth.

In the Power Equipment Technology Program, which also started at Vo-Tech, students will learn how to repair maintain equipment powered by small engines. In the program’s first year students develop skills in using hand tools, operating small engines and servicing spark plugs. In the advanced group, students learn how to troubleshoot programs and gain a deeper understanding of engines. Some graduates have been hired by local auto dealers and engine repair shops.

Dr. Chrys Hartraft, superintendent of Somerset Vo-Tech, said the Career Center is “long overdue” and offers a chance to provide career and technical education to students who would not otherwise have the opportunity.

“This is a continuum of services not offered anywhere else in the county,” she said.

A ceremonial groundbreaking for the new facility was held May 21. Applications for the programs, which have limited enrollment, must be made through local school districts.